


All We Know Is Falling

by goldhour



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crime, F/M, Minor Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Minor Harry Osborn/Gwen Stacy, Mystery, Original Character(s), Romance, Spies, Teen Angst, Thriller, but it does gain traction don't worry, enough symbolism to make an english major choke, kinda really slow in the beginning i know, no seriously this is gonna be very angsty, slow-burn, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldhour/pseuds/goldhour
Summary: MJ didn’t expect it to be so hard.When she is assigned a mission to fulfill the internship credits for her school which is unlike how schools are usually expected to be, she didn’t expect someone to make it more difficult than it ought to be.The Underworld is a dark place. In a complex, entwined web of impatient secrets and unsurmountable lies, will MJ solve the case and leave before it’s too late, or will she let herself fall into the endless and blissful doom of oblivion? [Peter Parker x MJ] Alternate Universe, Post-Endgame effects. (please read the archive warnings and tags before reading!)
Relationships: Peter Parker/Michelle Jones
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Trailer

[Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX_XsYHXmcY)

This is the book trailer made by the wonderful fadedxfires on Wattpad. I hope you enjoy it!  
Love, me.


	2. Prologue

She’d never thought she would have to lose another loved one again.

The partial reason for this was that after she’d started training, she had thought she could save them from anything that ever threatened to endanger them, if need ever arose. But mainly, she hopelessly, strongly believed that she would never give anyone that kind of power over her ever again. Her heart couldn’t break, if it stayed, safely, along with her.

Love destroys.

Love hurts.

Love heals.

But most of all, Love ends.

She couldn’t look up. She couldn’t turn back and _face_ him before she left. Whatever thoughts she’d always entertained of facing death bravely, with her chin held right up, fearless, had evaporated and disappeared in nothing, just like she’d known time to do.

“I have to go, Peter.”

“No,” he hoarsely choked out, “No. You can’t. You _told_ me won’t do this. You promised me! You _promised_ me, MJ!” His voice cracked, and so did her heart along with it.

“The time I spent with you was the best,” She smiled. 

“It was the best everything. _Everything,_ Peter. Every happy memory I have is of you.”

“MJ, please,” he begged. 

“I have to go now.”


	3. Cold

# Cold

Her eyes flew open to sunlight filtering in through uncovered windows.

It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the new reality. Her mind felt crowded, and images felt like they’d been viewed through a concave mirror. She could still smell the pungent and suffocating scent of smoke, taste the sweat dripping down her cheeks like tears that she never remembered shedding. Her eyes couldn’t quite lose the blood-red tinge that filtered her vision every time she tried to remind herself of the fact that she’d gotten out. _It was a dream, MJ. And it’s over now._   
For a few tormentous seconds, she just laid on her back, staring at the fan revolving noisily in the unfamiliar ceiling. Her breathing was loud. Rapid. It overpowered every other sound in the room, and she started breathing in, in gusts of air at a time, taking. Releasing. Taking. Releasing. She kept repeating this exercise till she could no longer hear anything but the rhythmic revolving of the fan, and her breath was calm.

She chastised herself internally for the delay in activity, and feeling more than a little stiff, she started to drag her short frame out of bed. Sitting up in bed, she looked at the digital wrist watch that she always wore;  _ at all times, no exceptions _ , she remembered being told once. Her sleep diagnosis seemed to be all over the place- the graph wasn’t the flattest she’d ever seen it.  _ It’s this place. This mission,  _ her subconscious whispered in the back of her mind. She pushed it further away. Instead of changing into her workout clothes and going for a run, as she usually would, she decided to forego exercise in favor of taking a quick shower, as she was already as late as a person on the first day for their very first mission could be.

_ Pity,  _ she thought as she turned the shower on,  _ I could’ve used some release in tension.  _ She rolled her shoulder muscles as the comfortably hot water of the shower cleared her mind a little bit, gradually. After standing under the relaxing spray for at least ten minutes more than she really needed to, she realised that it was all the relief she was going to get for the whole day, at least without exercise.

Shaking her head, irritated, as she wrapped a towel around her body,she walked to the- now  _ her _ \- closet, which was stocked with all new clothes. Regrettably, nothing she would’ve bought for herself. It was filled with casual clothing, chosen specifically to create the illusion of blending in with the surroundings, all muted, dark-ish colors- greys, blacks and navy-blues. She didn’t like them, needless to say.

_ Dammit people, _ she grimaced as she held up an odd-shaped dark brown colored sweater.  _ I might be a spy, but I’m also a girl. _

As she really didn’t have time to mourn her very limited and very drab choices in the clothing department, she grabbed the least puke-inducing outfit she could find, and grabbing her black backpack, rushed downstairs for breakfast and to face her ‘parents’.

* * *

Daniel and Melanie weren’t  _ really  _ her parents, just for the sake of clarification. They were both agents for the Bureau; Daniel a federal agent and Melanie a criminal psychologist. MJ had been placed with them so that she could be closer to her supervisors, and could, God forbid, help her in case she messed up her mission. She had to give regular reports to the couple regarding her progress. So, MJ had surmised as soon as she knew she would be staying with them, that for all means and purposes, he was her boss.

However, this morning, her boss definitely wasn’t feeling very bossy.

As she was coming down the stairs, Daniel looked up from his newspaper, and with his mouth half-full of toast, smiled at her cheerfully. She dropped her bag on the modest couch and took a seat at the dark, hardwood table.

“Good morning,” he smiled brightly at her. “Sleep well?”

Her response was automatic and flat. “Yeah. Sure. I slept well. You’ve got a really… comfortable spare bedroom.”

The really comfortable spare bedroom was precisely the size of two walk-in closets, with a plain twin bed and a dirty-yellow reading lamp on a bedside table. There was at least an attached bathroom, which was, unsurprisingly, pretty small but scrupulously clean, nonetheless. 

It wasn’t as if she was being ungrateful or overly-dramatic about her living conditions; she accepted the fact that she wouldn’t always be getting the chance to stay at five-star accomodations whilst working on a mission.She also was fully aware of the fact that, this being her first-ever mission, she still had it pretty great. It could get much worse the higher she went. She was just a little pricked by Daniel’s borderline-annoying optimism at the very beginning of the day. She couldn’t be more aware of the fact that adjustment was just something that she had to live with, considering the life she’d chosen for herself. Or the life that had chosen  _ her _ for itself. Same difference.

Daniel definitely didn’t catch up on her quiet sarcasm, or even if he did, he didn’t show it, as he smiled brightly and said, “I’m really glad to hear that. So, listen. Let’s get our story straight first.” MJ tried very hard to keep her eyes from rolling on their own accord. “You’re a-”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Daniel, let the girl breathe,” Melanie said exasperatedly, as she exited the kitchen with two plates piled with food, and kept one of them in front of MJ. “Finish eating first, you can discuss whatever you want to on the way to the school.” Daniel nodded his agreement with a huffy “Fine,” and continued eating his breakfast eagerly.

There was, MJ observed, something very quiet and calming and inherently…  _ motherly _ about Melanie. She was the kind of person who could get people to talk without much effort on her part, even though MJ was sure she was skilled in the department of persuasion and intimidation. They weren’t just the power couple of the Bureau for nothing.

Glancing at her watch, and taking a page out of Daniel’s book, she started making her way through the delicious-looking omelette and buttered toast as quickly as she could manage to, without choking.

* * *

Five minutes later, MJ, Daniel, and Melanie were in Daniel’s car as Daniel endeavoured to explain the plan again. “Remember, you’re a-”

“A new student at Midtown Science, newly transferred from Chicago. My parents were-” she made air quotes, “ _ incapable,  _ of taking care of me any longer so social services placed me with other family relatives. So, I came to New York to live with my-” she waved her hands at Daniel and Melanie, who was sitting in the back, “uncle and aunt.”

Daniel’s eyes remained on the road never wavering for a second, and for a moment she thought that her sarcasm had  _ really  _ caused her to get into the bad books of her bosses/supervisors. Then his mouth twitched and he burst out saying, “Everyone just keeps interrupting me today!”

Melanie snorted from the back seat and MJ internally sighed in relief.  _ So he’s not pissed at me after all. Yet. _

“But yeah, you’ve got the plan spot-on. Are you sure you don’t have any questions?”

“I do, actually.” She turned her head to look at him. “Are you going to drop me to the school everyday?”

He didn’t even try to hide his smile this time. “I don’t know, would you prefer us to?”

Her answer was clear in her eyes, and so was the air of finality in her tone when she spoke again. “No.”

He turned his head to look at her for the first time throughout the drive. “Fine. You’ll have to walk a bit, then, It’ll be a fifteen-twenty minutes long walk, at the very least. Think you can manage that?”

“Of course.” She fought against the pleased grin that threatened to spread across her face. “Of course I can.”

“Okay, then.” He nodded as she saw the school for the first time. It looked like every other high school ever, except for the fact that it daunted her more every centimetre closer she was to it.

_ Snap out of it,  _ she told herself.  _ It’s just another high school. Pretty much the same as every single one you’ve never been to. _

Her school, Wilderson, hadn’t ever looked innocuous or harmless to her. It had always looked exactly as it was, everything about it looking mercilessly organised and unforgivingly strict. Midtown Science was exactly it’s opposite- plain, innocent-looking and utterly harmless. She tried desperately, to rein in her nerves and keep up the facade of being cool and collected again.

“There you go,” Daniel said, sounding much quieter and somber than he usually did.

“Best of luck for your first day, MJ,” Melanie smiled softly at her, “You’re going to do fine.” Conviction and confidence sounded clear as a bell in her voice. Both of the things that MJ had suddenly felt herself lacking. Her heart started thrumming at an unhealthy pace. She felt it beating in her head so clearly, she could hear it. Her hands, out of sheer nervousness, shook slightly, and she gripped her other hand to keep both of them steady. Adrenaline seared it’s way through her, and she could feel everything. The slight chill of the air, her hair waving gently against it.

She couldn’t exactly pinpoint the exact moment for when it happened, but sometime around then, years of training kicked in. She started breathing normally again. Her limbs stopped shaking and became steady, as they would before a striking match against a classmate. Sometime around then, she couldn’t remember what exactly had happened to her as a young girl. She didn’t have fears. She didn’t have a past. She was invincible, and success became, for her once again, inevitable.

MJ wondered why  _ they _ were sounding so much quieter. Could they be as nervous as she was about this?

“Best of luck,” Daniel’s eyes glinted with warning and an ominous power she hadn’t quite been able to shake off till much later, and she understood that he wasn’t just wishing her luck for the mission.

She nodded her acknowledgement to the both of them rather jerkily as she stepped out of the car.

* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Ordinary World

# Ordinary World

Musical Inspiration- Ordinary World by Joy Williams (cover, original by Duran Duran)

* * *

As she stepped out of the car and started, carefully, deliberately, walking towards the school office, she had two things on her mind. The first was a relentless, and continuous chant of _"_ I'd better not mess up my very first mission ever," and the second being the unusually (at least for her) common thought that normal students usually had, "I can't possibly be late _today_ , of all days."

On entering the school office, her eyes, on their own accord, scanned the small, claustrophobic place. At the front desk sat a bespectacled, gum-chewing woman with dirty-blond hair in a loose ponytail. Unhealthy-looking potted plants were lining the transparent glass windows, and a man sat with a newspaper covering his face, on a couch which had a duplicate one attached to the opposite wall. The man appeared to be waiting for the counselor's door to open, whose office was also present right there, giving it all a very stuffy and claustrophobic effect. He kept glancing at the door, and there was unsuccessfully-hidden impatience and discomfort in that gesture. MJ was already grimacing at everything.

"Excuse me?" Gum-Chewing-Office-Lady looked up from her computer keyboard, boredom evident in her eyes.

"My name is Mary-Jane Watson," she lied smoothly. "I'm new here?"

Frankly, she'd expected Gum-Chewing-Office-Lady to recognize her when she'd told her (albeit, fake) name. But there was, unfortunately, not a smidge of recognition in her slightly-glazed blue eyes.

She blinked.

MJ did not.

What MJ _did_ do was try very hard to suppress her frustrated sigh. She settled with letting all of her impatience pass out of her through her nose. It didn't help. Much.

_Don't lose it,_ she reminded herself. _Maybe Daniel hasn't done as great of a job as he said he had._

Then, the most miraculous thing happened.

Gum-Chewing-Office-Lady's eyebrows furrowed and she held up a finger. Without a single word, she typed something into her computer, and what she found must've satisfied her as her face lit up and she exclaimed, " Mary-Jane! Welcome to Midtown Science!" She shuffled some papers clumsily before handing them to her and speaking to her again. "Take these papers and go into the counselor's room when the door opens next. He'll arrange your class schedule for you. Just sit here and wait a few minutes," she smiled at MJ brightly, gesturing towards the couches.

She obediently followed suit, feeling slightly less irritated and more amused than anything else, with Gum-Chewing-Office-Lady, because, after all, who could remain mad at a person who welcomed someone with so much of, what at least _looked_ genuine, enthusiasm, and she could see Newspaper-Face-Guy eyeing her, looking annoyed. As the counselor's door opened, she shot a quick smirk at him before closing the door behind her.

* * *

After a grueling 20-minute session, the school counselor, who, MJ had to give him credit, had tried hard to squeeze her likes and interests out of her but finally gave up and probably just drew up a generic schedule for her, let her go. MJ, so far, had already decided her little high school experience wasn't necessarily going to be as bad as she thought. No, it was going to be _much_ worse.

By the time she was out of the stuffy school office, she was already five minutes late for her calculus class. She was starting to hate it already; math had never been her strong point.

The school wasn't confusing, per se. Sure, it wasn't all that big for one to _call_ it complicated, but it was, by no means, small either. She didn't see a lot of students loitering about in the corridors on her way to class and she had already started garnering the impression that the students were all pretty serious about their education... Which she didn't like or appreciate, as being able to spot the rebels or outcasts would make her job slightly easier.

But that didn't matter. She'd always enjoyed a challenge.

When she came to a halt in front of the classroom with "Room 11C" taped over it, she saw that the class had already begun. In fact, from the way the teacher, a curly-haired woman wearing a bright pink silk top, and the students were engrossed in their respective jobs, she would've almost thought the class had been going on for a good period of time. She was only five minutes late!

Her split-second long hesitation was enough to get the teacher's (her name was Ms. Leander, MJ remembered) attention.

"Hello there," she sounded dubious. Then she narrowed her eyes for a second.

"Oh, you're new, aren't you? Come in, come in; there's no time to waste, you're late as it is." She waved her in, rounding her desk and looking down at some papers, probably counting them out. She could hear someone snickering. _Great. Some more attention is exactly what I need._

MJ deliberately walked in leisurely, making sure to put in an extra amount of casualness in every step closer she took towards the desk. She handed to Ms. Leander the sheet that was to be signed by every teacher and returned to the counselor by the end of the day, and Ms. Leander gave her two papers stapled together.

"There you have the syllabus-" She looked around the class, "Go have a seat, Mary-Jane."

MJ was now hating her self-chosen fake-name more with every second that passed. She didn't realize it sounded so horrible when really said out loud, and now she was stuck with it.

The only empty seat was in the corner of the classroom, in the very backbenches. _Right, of course,_ she snarked in her mind, _only in this school would the backbench be the only one empty._

_Well, at least there's a window_ , she thought as she sat down and on looking outside-

"Hah, don't bother hoping for a distraction. You'll only get so much entertainment from a brick wall," a voice sounded from her right. A blond-haired girl with mischievous blue eyes smirked at her. MJ smirked right back. "Well, I could always count the number of bricks, making up the wall. It _is_ , after all, math class."

A very undignified snort burst out of her. "You're funny, Mary-Jane. I'm Gwen Stacy, by the way."

MJ groaned softly. _I really should've chosen another name. Something that didn't need to allow the nickname MJ. Why did I even need to do that?_ "If we're going to talk, don't _ever_ call me Mary-Jane. It's an _awful_ name, even if I do say so myself. Just call me MJ," she whispered, making sure Leander didn't notice. "Well, for your sake, I hope you don't get Pailyn for English, because she's going to call you 'Marry' and that couldn't... exactly do much for your reputation."

MJ's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"I have an older cousin named Mary-Alice."

MJ looked properly terrified. Or maybe she _tried_ to look very scared. She couldn't tell the difference anymore. But Gwen, on the other hand, found MJ's horror extremely hilarious and didn't hold back this time, as she let out a bark of laughter, which she managed to turn into soft giggles, which was quickly reduced to a muffled smile when the teacher called on her.

"Something funny, Ms. Stacy? Want to share it with the rest of us?"

Gwen was still trying to fight her smile. MJ jumped in. "It was me. I was talking. Making a joke, I mean." Her eyes wandered for a second. Everyone, literally _everyone_ was staring at them. "Won't happen again." Gwen finally found her voice. "Sorry," she nodded to the rest of the class.

Ms. Leander gave them dirty looks before continuing as if they'd never interrupted at all. Gwen smiled at MJ apologetically (why, MJ could never imagine; It wasn't even anything Gwen had done that'd gotten them into trouble.), as well as gratefully, and MJ was giving her a tiny, tiny smile before she realized it.

Another thing MJ didn't realize when it happened was that she, albeit unknowingly, had just made herself her very first friend.

* * *

After calculus, MJ and Gwen headed their classes, with no more than a smile from Gwen's side and a tiny grin and acknowledging nod from MJ. So, where she headed next was, according to her schedule, Biology class.

When MJ had looked at the school map for the first time, it had appeared navigable and fully under control to her. It wasn't. It was now, as she closely examined the map which seemed to be stuck in front of her nose the entire time as she walked, that she realized that she didn't have anything under control. Her hopelessness about the case, and reaching her class on time, seemed to mount mercilessly as she stared at the map and the _three_ laboratories that she'd found so far. Somehow, even after close consideration of where her class could take place, she'd ended up in front of a classroom full of freshmen being taught about cells, and she had apologized hastily before disappearing down the hallway, a flight of stairs, and into her _actual_ classroom.

This time she wasn't surprised by the freakily punctual nature of the students and teachers of the school. As she halted in front of the classroom, she scanned the class from outside, and on deciding that the students didn't quite look as young as those freshmen she'd just encountered, she cleared her throat pointedly, trying to make it sound as polite as possible. The teacher's head turned towards her, just like every single student's in the classroom did.

She sighed internally. _I'm starting to sense a pattern here._

She didn't waste time this time around, walking to the teacher's desk as she started talking. "I'm new. Mary-Jane Watson," She handed to him her slip. He read through it for a second, eyebrows furrowed like he couldn't believe there was still a thing such as a new student, but he signed it all the same and pointed her to an empty seat, again, near the back of the class.

It was an uncomfortable walk to her seat, with several people trying, unsuccessfully, to look at her while not being completely obvious. She walked quickly, a soundless, quick lope that she'd been taught to perfect over the years, and sat down.

As she sat down, she noticed there at least _one_ person, _at least one,_ she thought snarkily, who wasn't obscenely interested in her; and that person was the boy sitting right next to her. He looked straight ahead, his eyes never wavering from the whiteboard, as if he was so lost in thought that he hadn't even realized when the teacher, Mr. Walters, had paused his teaching. There was something unsettling about his expression, his face completely blank and devoid of any emotion, an expression, she knew, automatically gave people the impression of calm, while everything else about his demeanor, from his bouncing knee to his constantly-ticking jaw, screamed discomfort. Tenseness.

He hadn't looked at her as she had walked towards his desk. His features didn't waver when she sat next to him, not even when she kept staring at him a beat longer than would've been considered casual.

"Okay, since Ms.Watson here," Mr. Walters peered at her over his spectacles, "Just arrived, and doesn't know what we've been doing, it's the respiratory system, and the practical assignment on it that you people are surely going to find very interesting." He seemed delighted at the prospect.

As Mr. Walters started talking about the respiratory system in amphibians, MJ's impatient, and bitchy side nudged her. Why hadn't he looked at her yet? She immediately felt annoyed at herself for seeking attention from a guy she hadn't met ten minutes ago. _You're a spy, for goodness' sake_ , she reprimanded herself. _Operating in the shadows is your_ job _._

_But everyone's looked at you so far_! Some unknown, unexplored part of her argued back. _Isn't it slightly suspicious he hasn't?_

That stopped her impatient side in its tracks for a few seconds. _Huh. You've got a point,_ impatience gave in slightly _. But just stay p-_

Impatience was cut off by her Unexplored side.

"What page number is he teaching right now?" MJ was whispering to him before she realized which side of her was really at the steering wheel this time.

Impatience was slack-jawed. It fumed and glared venomously at this new occupant of MJ's mind. Before Impatience could make another comment, MJ heard a smooth, low voice speak up beside her.

"I think it's 53," he said, still not looking at her.

"How would you know? You don't even have the book open in front of you," she challenged, glancing at his fingers drumming over the closed cover of his textbook. He shrugged. "You can check and see if I'm wrong." Then he finally looked at her, and for the first time seeing his face in all of the fifteen minutes she'd been in the class, she _really_ understood what was going on.

MJ was completely bewildered and annoyed at herself. _What am I even doing? And why...?_ She thought, completely appalled at her impulsive behavior. But all the frustration and annoyance in the world couldn't have stopped her from taking him up on his challenge.

She glanced away from his slightly upturned mouth, and flipped the next book open, turning the pages till she found the number he'd mentioned.

Mr. Walter was teaching the exact page he'd mentioned off the top of his head, to MJ's extreme annoyance and chagrin. She didn't have to look at him to know he was suppressing a grin.

"Mr. Parker, something funny?" Mr. Walters asked, staring at the both of them with narrowed eyes as if a single student's suppressed smile in his class was the most heinous crime he'd ever seen committed. She could swear she felt a sliver of chill run up her spine at how icy his glare at that moment was. _Ugh, why is every person I talk to today getting asked this very same question?_ Unknown Parker just shook his head apologetically, the whole gesture looking ultra-awkward, and just avoided eye contact with everything except for the desk in front of him.

"Nice to meet you, Parker," MJ muttered under her breath after a seemingly long time, completely aware of the bite of sarcasm in her tone.

"It's Peter," he retorted, the irony in his tone rivaling mine.

"Nice to meet you, Peter Parker, then."

She didn't expect to hear anything from him after that, nor did she intend to say anything more than she already had, but after a few quiet seconds, she heard, "Nice to meet you too, Mary-Jane Watson."

The bell rang shrilly the moment he said her fake last name. He swiftly got up, collected his belongings, and was out of the door before anyone even noticed him doing so.

That's weird, she thought as she collected her own books and pens and started packing. _I hardly even mentioned my name, and certainly not to him..._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- I'm posting earlier than I'd planned to! Well, early by a few hours, but oh wel. My real motivation for posting early was because of all the amazing comments and encouragement from my readers! Thank you so much, everyone, for all of the overwhelming response. I really hadn't expected my first chapter to be liked so much by everyone! So, for that, I'm truly grateful.
> 
> Love, Me.


	5. A Beautiful Chaos

# A Beautiful Chaos

After the class ended, the rest of her time went by smoothly, at least as much as it could, being a new student and all. But soon enough, it was lunch break, and MJ was decidedly and properly nervous about her mission. _What if I can’t find the right person after all?_ Everyone seemed so normal and… _incompetent._ They just didn’t look like they’d be working for some enemy organization trying to steal illegal drugs from a company which wasn’t up to much good either. They were all just like how normal high schoolers were; they studied, they talked to each other about other people a lot, they had crushes on other people which they never acted upon… They definitely weren’t like the people she’d grown up with. Things were infinitely more… _business-like_ and serious over there. She couldn’t imagine anyone at her school behaving in the unruly and boisterous way as the table of jocks across the cafeteria from her were.

MJ sat at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria; there were not many empty tables left and the only one where she could properly people-watch (or squint at, in her case) was from one located in the extreme left of the room. And sitting there alone, she could guess exactly why it was the way it was- empty and deserted. It wasn’t just the table farthest from the rest of the student civilization, it was also at a considerable distance from the closest fan. 

Wiping at a sweat droplet as it dripped slowly, irritatingly down the side of her forehead, she sighed frustratedly and decided to get some of the yucky high-school-cafeteria food. She must’ve been looking so suspicious, she thought as she got up from her bench, just sitting there with no food, staring at other people.

She started picking up the packaged foods and the fruits, as she couldn’t possibly go wrong with those, and as she stood in the queue for the cookies (she needed some sugar to go through with the rest of the day), she heard a familiar voice from right behind her.

“MJ, is that you?” There stood Gwen Stacy, looking all cheerful and bubbly, as MJ assumed she always did. MJ tried to muster up a smile as cordial as she possibly could.

“Hey, Gwen.”

“Hi! How was the rest of the day? Was it okay?” _She’s so... friendly,_ MJ thought uncomfortably.

“Yeah. No. Well, let’s just say you’re not the only person I got into trouble today,” She shook her head, actually feeling a little mortified and slightly annoyed when she thought of Peter Parker.

“Aw, come on, you’re still thinking about that? It’s okay! It’s not like I never get into trouble on my own, after all,” she rolled her eyes and smiled mischievously. “I do. A lot. Ms. Leander didn’t have a very good impression of me anyway.”

“Oh,” MJ mumbled awkwardly as she picked up two cookies and moved out of the way. “I guess that’s okay, then.” She smiled bleakly. Gwen grinned back at her reassuringly, her eyes widening almost immediately afterward.

“Hey, are you sitting with someone? If you’re not, you should definitely come sit with us!” She looked endlessly excited at the prospect of MJ doing so.

“Us?” MJ was, on the other hand, very reluctant at the idea. This was definitely out of her realm of capabilities, group interactions.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Gwen nodded, trying to comfort her, “We’re all the misfits around here, the ones who don’t even fit in _here_. They’ll be very welcoming, I promise.”

That was hardly the problem MJ was worried about, not feeling welcomed. She was much more worried about the chance to look around at _all_ the students, in the only opportunity she’d get in a day.

But something, again governed by her unknown and unexplored side, melted at hopefulness and... _openness,_ something she’d rarely, if ever, encountered on someone’s face in regards to her, in Gwen’s eyes, and she couldn’t refuse anymore.

“Okay. Sure, I’ll come sit with you.”

Gwen’s answering smile was the brightest one she’d ever seen. “Come on!” She tugged on MJ’s hand. “We sit right there,” pointing at a table with three people already sitting there and talking to each other over their lunches. MJ’s hands felt clammy and she, unbelievably, had cottonmouth. _What, scared of a little social interaction?_ Her subconscious taunted her smugly. She tried to calm herself down; This was the _least_ dangerous thing about her mission so far.

* * *

“Hey guys,” Gwen got everyone’s attention as she and MJ sat down, “This is Mary-Jane Watson, but don’t _ever_ call her that,” She glanced at MJ slyly, “She’s MJ for all means and purposes.”

Everyone- two boys and a girl- smiled at her warmly. “Hi there, MJ.” One of the boys, who MJ had decided had a slightly arrogant air about himself, which probably grew over the years because of his undeniable good looks, smiled at her charmingly, “I’m Harry. Harry Osborn.” The name pricked at her attention.

“Osborn? Like, Oscorp Industries, Osborn?” she asked him before she could stop herself. She mentally slapped her forehead. He looked away from her uncomfortably for a second, and MJ started feeling more than a slight tinge of guilt because she’d _already_ made one of them uncomfortable. _It’s not even_ _been five minutes and I’ve_ already _made one of them hate me._ But he, to her poorly-hidden surprise, didn’t look uncomfortable for long before saying, “Yeah, my dad owns it. Are you planning on getting a job, or something, there? I can defini-”

“Yeah, we know you could always pull some strings there and get her a job, we _know_ that, Harry,” the blond-haired girl on Harry’s right, rolled her eyes and shook her head exasperatedly, playfulness abundant in every move. She turned her eyes to MJ, and she saw kindness and keen-eyed vigilance buried deep inside of them. It was a strange combination of characteristics in a person. “I’m Betty, by the way.” She smiled cordially. “And this, here, is my boyfriend Ned,” she waved her hand towards the only occupant of the table she didn’t know the name for yet. Ned smiled and waved at her, something very sweet and teddy bear-like about his appearance. He looked the kind of person who immediately made a person feel comfortable and welcome; he looked trust-worthy.

Harry didn’t drop the subject. “But I’m not just _saying_ it, you know. Remember Peter and the summer internship? Yeah, well, you know who helped him get it,” he shrugged smugly.

“Oh, yeah? And did Peter ask you for your help?”

Several things happened at once. Gwen and Ned both smiled simultaneously, Harry looked slightly uncomfortable even with his perpetual smirk still present on his face, Betty slapped her forehead, and held her head against her arm, staring expectantly at the scene that was about to unfold in front of her. Her eyes darted to and fro between Harry and the newcomer, as if she was watching a tennis match. MJ just tensed, like she was about to receive a blow from the biggest student in her class with her hands were tied behind her.

“Hey, Peter,” Gwen chimed in brightly.

Peter Parker from biology class just smiled at her and walked around towards Harry, who didn’t even bother looking uncomfortable anymore. Peter lightly punched the latter in the arm as he sat down on a chair next to Ned. His eyes moved restlessly from one person at the table to the other. They rested on hers for the briefest two seconds, before resuming their impatient scanning.

Harry didn’t realize the situation at the table had quickly elevated from being slightly awkward to _very_ awkward, or even if he did, he didn’t want to keep it that way for very long. “Hey, Peter. Didn’t see you this morning. Where’ve you been, man?”

“Oh, you know,” Peter waved his hands and shook his head awkwardly. “Just got a little late today.”

Harry hummed, before turning his attention towards MJ, looking at her curiously. “So, MJ.” _Oh boy,_ she thought. “You’re new?”

“Yup,” she nodded and sighed internally when she realized they were all expecting her to continue.

“I just moved to New York, in fact. From Chicago. I’m living with my uncle and aunt now.” She glanced around at everyone else, who were listening to her, but didn’t look obscenely or too interested in what she had to say, the way the rest of the students in the rest of her classes did. _Except for Peter Parker, that is,_ she noticed with no small amount of bewilderment. _He looks interested enough._ And he did. He was the only one actually looking at her (albeit, with narrowed eyes) while she talked. It was very unlike the others, who were just nonchalantly listening to her as they ate their lunch.

Harry nodded slowly. “Okay. And how do you feel about Russia? And priests?” That, right there, broke her expected chain of questioning.

Trying to curb her shocked laugh, she ended up snorting into her soda. Clearing her throat, all she managed to croak out was a raspy, “What?”. Gwen seemingly agreed with MJ. “Yeah, what, Harry? Where in the world did that even _come_ from? And don’t you even think about saying ‘Russia’.”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? That is exactly what Betty, Ned, and I were discussing before you joined us.”

Gwen looked more than a little lost and incredulous. “So, you’re telling me that you guys were discussing Russia and… Priests? Huh,” she paused, trying to contain her amused smile. “Anyone care to tell me more?”

“Now, now, Gwen,” Ned spoke up in a faux hurt and embarrassed voice, “That isn’t _exactly_ what we were discussing. Harry was just telling us how it was his life’s dream to… you know,” Ned smiled while shrugging, “ Go to Russia and train to become a priest there.”

“And Betty and Peter are joining him,” Harry quipped in, high-fiving a giggling Betty and winking at Peter, who actually laughed back.

Gwen’s mouth was slightly hanging open. Then she kept closing and opening her mouth like she was trying to come up with something witty or funny to say. She evidently didn’t manage to, as she, in a very quiet and incredulous manner, ended up saying, “But… That is a _ridiculous_ dream!”

“So’s your dream of becoming a journalist after going to a science school for 12 years of your life,” Harry shot back.

Everyone gasped. Next thing MJ knew, Gwen and Harry were engaged in a loud exchange of words, each mean statement returned with another one, trying to gain an advantage over the other person. The back and forth was soon full-blown, good-natured argument, with Betty, Ned and Peter occasionally joining in with mediating comments; Betty tried to calm them down, Ned made sure they _didn’t_ come to a mutual agreement, and Peter kept flipping sides with every comment of his own. MJ just sat there, controlling her emotions, which were a messy whirlwind of disbelief, humor, and awe, and trying to suppress her smile which was there despite her inner turmoil.

It was utter chaos, punctuated by dramatic gasps, pointed fingers, and laughter. MJ had just started learning that the same chaos could be beautiful too.

* * *

By the time everyone separated after lunch, Gwen’s face was red out agitation, harry was smirking shamelessly, Betty and Ned were in stitches out of laughter, and MJ was left wondering if lunchtime discussions at their table were always like the one she’d just witnessed.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Betty had laughed when Mj had asked her this while they walked to both of their next class, Gym, together.

“Harry and Gwen argue pretty much all the time they’re together. Harry riles her up, and she reacts every single time,” she sighed exasperatedly. “It’s both entertaining and exhausting to watch.”

Betty was a quiet and observative person to be with. She didn’t mind silences in between conversation, and MJ had always _preferred_ it that way. That’s why MJ, this time knowingly, had liked Betty already.

Gym went passed smoothly, just like the rest of her day. After her last class of the day, as she walked out of the building, she heard her name being called out.

“MJ!” She turned around to find Gwen walking towards her, Peter and Ned flanking her on both sides. The two boys looked very engrossed in their discussion. Peter was describing something to Ned, gesturing animatedly, while Ned looked like he was both scared and excited. She drew her attention back to Gwen when the latter asked her a question.

“What are you doing after school?”

MJ was at a loss. She _wouldn’t_ be doing anything yet, because she didn’t have any leads or _anything at all_ that would count as progress in her mission. 

“Um, I have to run some errands for my uncle and aunt,” she tucked her hair behind her ear shakily, “Why?”

“I just thought that maybe you could join us at Harry’s at 5. We study, and have a lot of snacks, too,” she winked.

MJ laughed, a short and nervous sound. “I guess I’ll have to join you guys sometime. I just can’t today, you know,” she shook her head apologetically. “I hope you don’t mind…”

“Not at all! It was just an invitation. You could join us whenever you want to, even after 5. Peter joins us at 7.”

MJ nodded, feeling more and more panicked and helpless as every second passed.

“Anyway,” Gwen looked back at the others, who had now been joined by Harry and Betty too. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah,” MJ agreed and returned Gwen’s wave reluctantly before she went back to the others.

* * *

As she went through the gates, she felt her lungs getting less constricting and lighter by the second, and by the time she’d walked some more in a direction out of the building she knew nothing about, she felt fine. Better. Clearer.

She didn’t go back to Daniel and Melanie’s house, needless to say. She went to the place where her whole mission was based.

* * *

_God, that’s one tall building,_ MJ thought as she tilted her head back to stare at Oscorp Industries in its entirety. It had, MJ plainly guessed, about 40 floors, and the glass windows reflected back the light that fell on them, giving the building a cold, and sophisticated appearance. Maybe even a little intimidating.

MJ nodded to herself, feeling impressed but not intimidated in the least (it’s what she was repeating to herself in her mind, at least), and the instinctive, incautious side of her made her need to go closer, inside.

As she walked confidently through the doors into the huge, classily decorated lobby of Oscorp, she immediately pressed her phone to her ear, carrying on a fake, but lively and giggly conversation with a fake, but definitely very convincing best friend. She acknowledged the security guard with a bright smile and a firm nod as she walked past him before he could think about reacting. The two receptionists at the large, white front desk didn’t even pay much attention to her in the midst of the usual hustle-bustle of the reception, especially during that particular time. She still acknowledged them the same way she had the security and walked towards the elevator.

The tricky part was waiting for the elevator to arrive. Even though her ‘conversation’ still went on in full swing, she couldn’t help but fidget with the hem of her shirt. She subtly kept looking over her shoulder, waiting, and completely _expecting_ someone to notice her invasion and throw her out of the office.

She didn’t have to suffer through her thoughts for much longer, as the distinct ‘ding’ of the elevator sounded soon enough, and she obstinately made her way while people were still exiting the lift. And, only then, did she take the phone away from her ear.

_This is weird,_ she thought as she stood in the spacious elevator, all alone. _And not to mention, going a little_ too _well to last long._ And her thoughts were justified. What were the odds of her landing up in a completely empty elevator in a company with 2000+ employees working in it?

_Exactly,_ she thought to herself as she let out a shaky sigh. _I’m starting to fear my subconscious more than my job. Huh, that’s new._

She didn’t waste much time in self-sabotaging thoughts as she reached for the button with ‘7th’ written on it boldly. Her hand faltered over it.

_Is it really the best decision to go to that floor now?_ She thought to herself hesitantly. _I mean, come on. Everything you’ve done so far has been completely impulsive and reckless. Going to the floor with the room which probably has the most security in the whole building? You’re not ready for this._

_Oh, what the hell,_ she thought bitterly as she quickly stabbed the button with her finger. _You haven’t_ ever _been ready for anything._

* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- *sigh* I don't even know why I'm extending this first day so much. And to think, the next chapter's going to be a continuation of the very same day. I sincerely apologize for this. *tired sigh* I would like to extend a genuine thanks to everyone who reads this. I'm truly grateful to all of you.
> 
> Love, me.


	6. Traces

# Traces

As she stepped out of the elevator, she knew everything was and wasn’t alright at the same time.

The 7th floor, as she’d expected it to be, was completely filled with cubicles and was, for all means and purposes, a floor-sized laboratory. An uneasy scent of disinfectant wafted in the air, due to the rigorous cleaning MJ was sure they maintained there. MJ wasn’t sure if it was the lingering scent in the air or her own nerves that made her feel slightly nauseous and her stomach turn uneasily. The floor, other than being compulsively clean, was also completely and utterly empty. Almost eerily so.

As the gates opened, she cautiously, slowly stepped out, and flinched violently almost immediately when a bright white light blinked on above her. _Damn motion sensor technology_ (she’d never liked them, be it for security purposes or just for the aesthetic). Her hands, to her extreme embarrassment, were now trembling ever so slightly, and were slippery due to the light layer of nervous sweat which had accumulated over them. Rubbing them on her jeans, she looked around herself, making sure for the second time in as many minutes that it was just her and not a single other person there.

She focussed on her breathing, trying to make it regular and silent, completely in contrast to how it was in that particular moment. Despite her panic, or maybe _because_ of it, she felt awake. Alert. Like the haze that had been clouding her mind all day had faded away, the mask of normality off. She was the person everyone in her school knew her as- alert and cool-headed. Cold as a rock against your skin in the shade of the setting sun.

As she slipped into her own void of cold, the void in which she’d operated in for years, her mind was clearer than it’d been in days. It was like a fortress, where anything unrelated to her job at that moment had no place. It was blissfully clear and silent.

With lithe, trained footsteps, she started walking in the direction of the laboratory in which she knew the center of her mission was contained. She’d visually traced the path to it on her map a million times, but doing the real thing had always been different. She mentally ticked off the different rooms and offices on her way as she passed by them. 

As she was passing by some of the bigger offices belonging to the scientists at higher positions, she unintentionally froze when she heard voices from one of the offices in front of her. She felt slightly stupid for assuming the _entire_ floor would be completely empty. That everyone would’ve gone home not quite even half-way through the day. She curiously inched closer to the door to the door labeled _Dr. Connors_.

Standing right in front of the door, she heard two people speaking in loud agitated tones on the other side. She felt the almost-overpowering urge to press her ear against the door, but she resisted, just in case someone decided to make a sudden and unexpected departure. 

“‘- told me you would try to stop the experiment from going any further! That was two years ago!” She heard someone proclaim loudly inside.

“I did, but when it succeeded with-”

“Why don’t you understand? It won’t be successful with anyone else!” The first person practically shouted. “How many times do I have to explain that to you?”

There was a stagnant pause.

When the first person, whose voice was sounding more and more familiar with every passing moment, spoke again, his voice was much lower and his identity, in that moment was almost completely formed in MJ’s mind.

“People are going to die, you know that? They are going to die, and I warned you. I’ve been warning you for the past two years,” his voice became faint across the door. “These trials will fail, and you know what?” he laughed humorlessly. “You will be the only person to be blamed for them.”

She heard shuffling of feet, and she immediately slipped into the adjacent corridor. She glanced at the door when it opened, and to her astonishment, Peter Parker stormed out of the office, backpack slung angrily over his shoulder. He walked without pause towards the elevator, and without sparing a glance at it, headed for the stairs. However, before going down, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialing a number, held it to his ear. When the person on the other side answered, he quietly said something that sounded, from MJ’s distance, like, “Hey, the plan’s still on,” and he disappeared down the stairs.

MJ was shocked into silence. She felt shocked, and God, _beyond_ suspicious. What was this Dr. Connors about to do? And what was Peter even _trying_ to stop?

She tried to bring back her previous state of mind, to push away thoughts of Peter and this mysterious new development that he had brought along with him, that may or may not have anything to do with her case. That’s when she actually remembered her own case and her purpose for coming to Oscorp that day. She tried to focus again,to try to get closer to the room of her mission again, and she might just have succeeded in the first part if Dr. Connors hadn’t exited his office at that moment.

She saw a tall, rapidly-balding man with a worn-out and exhausted posture exit the office, and MJ’s blood ran cold when he started to slowly make his way towards the corridor she was hiding in, completely visible and hopelessly vulnerable. She willed herself to _think on her feet,_ like she had all her life, and get herself out of her self-made mess, as messes for her usually were.

Her eyes scanned the corridor, and, _thank you all Gods of newly-minted-and-trained spies,_ there was a door labeled ‘cleaning supplies’ at the end of it. She tried to keep her footsteps as soundless and quick as she could, and hurried towards the door. On reaching it, she slowly, painstakingly, pulled it open by the handle. The door mercifully didn’t make any attention-seeking noises other than an almost-unnoticeable squeak.

Quickly getting inside and closing the door, MJ realized ‘cleaning supplies’ really just meant a janitor’s closet, a very foul-smelling one that at. MJ tried really hard to not scrunch up her nose in disgust against the putrid smell of urine and bathroom disinfectant. She wrapped her arms around herself to avoid touching anything that might just turn out to be the most disgusting thing she’d ever had to come to such close proximity with. As she did so, she thought about what exactly she’d tried to accomplish by coming to Oscorp that day. _I mean, it’s not like you don’t know what it looks like._

 _That’s a ridiculous argument,_ her impatient side scoffed indignantly. _You can never know too much about the most important place or person in your mission._

But not even Impatience could argue with the fact that her visit to Oscorp on that particular day had not yielded her any fruitful results. _Well, other than giving me even more stuff to overthink the hell out of._

She was about to open the closet door to confirm whether the Doctor was gone or not, but then she heard another door open, and close. She immediately opened the closet door slowly, having to see which room exactly he’d gone into, and to no surprise, the door opening had been the exact door she thought it would be. _My mission door._ She’d been hiding in a closet right next to it while maybe-or-maybe-not evil doctor guy had managed to get inside. She hadn’t even been able to see the passcode for it.

She felt guilt settle at the pit of her stomach and irritation spark in her chest. _Well, what am I supposed to do here now? He’s already gone inside. You really should’ve chosen a better damned hiding spot._

Not wanting to be caught lurking around the hallways by the Doctor, just in case he came out in that very moment, she quickly, yet dejectedly walked towards the elevator; but at the very last moment, just as she was about to press the button for it, some thought evaded her mind, thus changing it for her, and she withdrew her hand.

She took the stairs back down to the reception.

* * *

As she made her way to Daniel and Melanie’s home in the back of a very typical New York cab, she tried to sort through the tirade of questions and theories flooding her mind. She thought of Peter Parker and the newest set of questions he’d brought along with himself. She thought of her mission and her anxieties regarding it. She also thought about her day at the high school.

Gwen seemed pretty friendly and nice. Sweet, accepting, slightly rebellious. _It couldn’t hurt to stay friends with her, could it?_ She asked herself. She was fully aware of the fact that if she stayed with Gwen, everyone else came as a package deal. _Including Peter,_ her subconsciously slyly reminded her in a whisper which inconspicuously faded away as soon as it had appeared. _Including Peter,_ she grudgingly agreed, her plan going forward becoming clearer by the minute.

She felt more than a little guilty, as she considered why exactly she’d decided to stay with Gwen. She wasn’t the kind of person who deserved to be used. _It’s just what you’re going to have to do,_ MJ thought. _Staying with Gwen means getting to be closer to Peter and find out what exactly he’s up to._ She, at least just yet, didn’t exactly regret taking up her mission, but at the moment, she couldn’t help but wonder what else she was going to do wrong just for the sake of her mission. How far exactly she’d go for it.

At that point, she was also pretty sure of the fact that Peter’s ‘plan’ and MJ’s mission were somehow, but undeniably entwined. She didn’t know how bad the tangle of their plans and missions was, but her instinct was constantly signaling her of its presence. And she’d learned to trust her instinct a long time ago.

She didn’t know what she could do about their common interest just yet, though; for the first time, she didn’t have a multiple-branched, detailed plan in her head. She just hadn’t realized yet how bad a sign that really was.

* * *

As MJ entered Daniel and Melanie’s apartment using the key under the potted plant in front of their door ( _some FBI agents they are,_ she thought, shaking her head), MJ had a bare skeleton of a plan and a fully formed demand on her mind ( _because that’s the kind of person I am now,_ she thought to herself snarkily _)_. All she had to do was wait for Daniel and Melanie to come back home.

She dropped her book bag on the couch, and, for the second time that day, MJ flinched as she entered a place through a door, because on her bed _(her freshly laundered bedsheets!_ Impatience fumed, completely bewildered and slightly annoyed), sat a very big, very golden, majestic-looking Golden Retriever, as if it was sitting on a throne. It’s healthy and almost royal looking fur reminded her of Mufasa from a childhood favorite of hers.

MJ stood frozen on the doorstep, eyes popping out and mouth hanging slightly open as if she’d just seen a ghost. The dog seemed unfazed by her presence. It’s dark, russet brown eyes stared right into her eyes unflinchingly, as if it could see all the way into her soul. MJ, as guarded and cautious as she usually was, fell out of her trance and her eyes narrowed on their own accord. The dog’s eyes didn’t waver. She stared. The dog stared right back. All the while with her standing in front of the guest bedroom like a marble statue.

Their staring continued till MJ realized that, _for goodness’ sake_ , she was having a staring contest with a _dog_ , after which she huffed to no one in particular. She was startled into speechlessness. _How could Daniel and Melanie not tell me they had a dog?_

“Where did you even get here from?” she asked the dog incredulously, shaking her head, immediately walked back to the drawing-room before she could question her sanity.

Since she had more than a plan and a demand to talk to Daniel about, she decided to just wait for him to come back early, like he said he would. After about thirty seconds of scrolling through her mostly empty phone, she got up and went to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. While she ate it, she paced around the kitchen restlessly, not caring about the bread crumbs that fell to the floor around her.

Amidst all of the eating and pacing, the sound of the doorbell brought her immense relief and happiness. She was almost excited as she went to open the door.

“Hey Daniel, I ha- Peter?”

Peter Parker ( _because Halle-freaking-lulah)_ stood in front of her, shock consuming all of his features, an expression which MJ was sure her face mirrored.

“What are you _doing_ here?” she ended up asking him before she could stop her thoughts from taking over her mouth.

“I, uh-” he rubbed the back of his neck briefly. “I came to take Dodger for a walk.”

At no response but a confused expression from MJ, he continued. “The dog?”

“Oh, so that’s his name?” MJ asked, feeling more than a little stupid and confused, because she thought it would be something that suits the dog more, like Simba, or her personal preference, _Fluffy._

Peter smiled at her a little, and it seemed sweet and unexpectedly genuine. “Yeah, it is.”

An awkward beat of silence passed between them.

“How did-”

“Are you-”

They both stopped talking at the same time too, elevating the awkwardness to higher levels. Peter waved his hand for her to continue, and for the sake of the ending of the awkwardness between them, she did.

“How did you end up getting the job of the dog-walker?”

“Well, it’s at least a job,” he grinned. “Besides, I’ve done this since Daniel and Melanie moved here two years ago, so I just… continued doing it, I guess.”

MJ finally realized what that meant. “Wait, you live here?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Just downstairs.”

Immediately after he finished talking MJ heard someone climbing up the stairs, and they both looked towards it to see Daniel, eyes lingering between Peter and her for a moment before smiling widely at the both of them.

“Hey, kids! Have a good day?”

She nodded silently, while Peter smiled back in a slightly bland way. “Yeah, I did. Thanks.”

Daniel’s eyes still looked slightly careful and edgy as he hummed his response and wrapped an arm around MJ’s shoulder. MJ’s effort to prevent herself from flinching at that casual contact made her nails dig painfully into her arm.

Peter’s low voice broke the few seconds of awkward silence that had fallen over them. “I came to get Dodger? For his walk…?”

“Right. Dodger.” Daniel’s arm left MJ’s shoulder as he walked into the house, yelling for Dodger, who came padding out of MJ’s room leisurely. Daniel fetched the dog collar and the leash from a drawer in the kitchen and made Dodger wear it, not without much struggle on the dog’s part. After much coaxing and baby talking ( _it’s a_ dog _,_ MJ thought, surprised and exasperated), Dodger finally obliged, and all the while, MJ and Peter stood by the doorway watching. Peter didn’t look all that surprised, like he’d had to do that himself at some point, and MJ had her brows knitted together out of sheer incredulity.

“There you go, Peter,” Daniel handed him the leash. “You’re all set to go.”

“Thanks, Daniel. See you in half an hour,” he smiled at Dodger. Looking and making brief eye contact with MJ, he nodded. “See you around, MJ.” Then he let the suddenly excited dog lead him down the stairs.

“Nice kid, that Peter,” Daniel casually commented as he closed the door. “Did you meet him at school today?”

“Yup,” MJ answered him briefly, not wanting to give him any further information about how exactly they’d met. “How did I not know you had a dog?”

“Well, you just came here fresh from the airport last night. Dodger doesn’t really take to new people so easily. He’s kind of arrogant.”

“So I’ve seen,” she muttered under her breath. “So, I’ve got three-fourth of a plan and a demand.”

“Already?” he asked her, looking surprised. MJ’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I’m just messing with you; tell me whatever it is.”

“Okay,” she exhaled deeply. “Which one goes first, the plan, or the demand?”

“The plan’s not complete, is it? I’ll go with the demand then.” Daniel smiled slyly.

She ignored it. “Okay, so… Well, I need to get a job at Oscorp. Somehow.”

When MJ had thought of the demand at first, she hadn’t actually expected any particular reaction from Daniel. But even then, she’d never expected him to just sigh and rub his forehead like he’d expected it.

“I knew this was coming. Honestly, I don’t know what the Bureau was thinking, assigning you to this mission. It’s not like you’re going to find the right person among those hundred of students at that high school, right?” He shook his head. “It was wise of you to come up with this. I was just waiting for how long it would take you to figure out that the high school clue won’t be enough.”  
“Wait, what do you mean, ‘clue’? Do you _know_ who the person is?”

“Of course not! He snorted. “Now what kind of a mission would that be?” He got to his feet from the sofa he had flopped down on. “Well, I’ll have to get going now. You stay put today; I’m sure you’ve got some homework or something to work on.” He laughed at MJ’s scowl when she remembered that she did, in fact, have some.

“Speak to Melanie about the job searching at Oscorp. She will be able to help you. She’s got people owing her stuff all over the place,” he smiled, like he was proud of his wife for that. He patted MJ’s shoulder just before he was about to step out of the door, and MJ remembered something.

“Hey, Daniel?” He stopped in front of the door. “If you’re not home at this time of the day, and I just came here yesterday, where does Peter get the leash and collar from?”

“He uses the house key under the plant,” he shrugged nonchalantly. At MJ’s horrified and incredulous expression, he laughed and said, “Come on, you’re not the only one who knows about that!”

“But… he’s a stranger!”

“He’s a decent kid,” he said firmly. “See you later, kiddo.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry people, the first day gets over here ;). We definitely do move on to the next day after this. Phew, this was one long and demanding chapter to write. Let me know what you think. As always, a genuine thanks to everyone who reads this. I'm truly grateful to all of you.  
> Love, me.


	7. Magnetic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More elements are coming into play, and Peter's about to realize what the saying 'be careful what you wish for' means.  
> MJ is struggling. With her morality. With her mission. Not to mention, with her own demons which have now reared their heads as well.  
> The ball is about to start rolling.  
> tw: major mental health issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for myself, i know. I wasn't planning on updating even now, because i'm STILL not done with as many chapters as I'd like to...? I don't know, i'm just really sorry for the very, very long break.  
> Anyway, our girl Z won an Emmy! I mean, i can't even explain how happy i am for her but at the same time, my heart breaks for the most recent losses we've faced. Rest in power and peace RBG and Chadwick Boseman. you'll both be remembered. Adult residents of the US, please vote. That's the only way we're gonna be able to watch Black Widow in theatres anytime soon. Do you really want four more years of t(his) shit?

# Magnetic

Evening time set in, and so did anticipation in the chest of the man in the blue suit.

Normally, the news would’ve been here.

Normally, he wouldn’t have to sit around waiting for it to arrive. He wouldn’t have to feel his chest constrict with every breath he took in because he would’ve been out there making sure the job was done.

Patience is a virtue. It gave a person the power to control the circumstances _within_ him, if not around him.

Time was cruel. Passing it did, but the dredges of doom and the chaos of consequences were something he was loath to.

Steepling his hands on the elegant hardwood desk in front of him, he curbed the seed of irritation trying to grow its way into his mind. Patience was the key. It would bring him what he wanted, if only he was wise enough to keep holding on to it tightly in times of crisis.

_In times like these._

Screw it. Screw power posture, screw waiting with grace. Abruptly swerving around in his chair he turned towards the glass window behind him, which held a beautiful view of the city.

But as his eyes roamed the horizon irritatedly, he thought of how it would never be _breathtaking_ like his father’s. How it would always be second most-beautiful to _his_ view of the city. 

How _he_ would always be second to his father.

His chain of thoughts broke with a start when his intercom buzzed. Once. Twice. By the third time, he heard his office door open, and a smirk slowly crawled its way up his lips.

“Took you long enough, Buzz.”

“Sorry Boss, security was tight. But you knew that.” Buzz’s smile grew till it was an ugly show of teeth.

“I’m assuming you put the bugs where they’re supposed to be?” The man in the blue suit’s voice was deceivingly calm and smooth, but the ingenuine oiliness never went away. Even around his best friend, deceiving was second nature to him.

“Along with the cameras, Boss. _Just like we already talked about_ ,” Buzz’s crude tone went sharp with impatience. “C’mon, what’s up with you about this, man? You know we’ve been planning this for months. _Months._ Every single detail, multiple times. You’re going to go all doubtful on me now?”

“I’m not doubting you!” The man in the blue suit chuckled derisively, his voice finally breaking the calm facade. “This is important to me, and you were 20 minutes late.”

“Come on, you know this has nothing to do with timing.”  
“Everything has got something to do with time!” The man in the blue suit exclaimed, shooting up from his chair. He walked away from his desk, and closer to the window. Shoving his hand into his curly blond hair, he curbed his anger. He always curbed his anger. It's what he’d done his whole life.

“Tomorrow,” he murmured at the window, knowing full well Buzz would hear him. “Tomorrow, there will be no mistakes. No waiting, and no wastage of time. Do you hear me?”

Buzz didn’t speak. He stared at his childhood friend for a long minute, his knowing gaze seeing through everything. “Yes. Yeah, you got it, man.”

“Good,” the man in the blue suit breathed. “You can go now.”

Buzz didn’t wait. He knew that wouldn’t do him any good, because his friend was going to move at his own pace anyway. He always did.

Closing the door behind him, the click of glass cut neatly through the silence that set in in the man in the blue suit’s office. Silence was good.

Silence was comfortable.

* * *

MJ had never had too high expectations for her future job. Due to everything she’d heard from people around her at her school or people working the job full-time, she had ended up viewing her job in a very cynical and black-and-white light. She hadn’t _really_ planned on being out in the field, doing the actual spy work, preferring the backstage work instead.

However if anything, she had _never_ expected it to be _boring_.

She knew calling her job _boring_ was almost an unfairly massive understatement. There wasn’t an instance when she felt her job was anything less than… life-threatening. She always remembered that; couldn’t forget it. She couldn’t come to terms with how she felt about her job itself… she had never expected something in her life to become something so mundane, so _regular_.

Her nightmares had started coming back. Unnoticeably, at first. As MJ sat with Gwen and her group of friends (who were also sort of _her_ friends now), she stifled a yawn while unconsciously blocking out the conversation. Words hit her ears to be deflected back into nothingness.

As she absentmindedly fidgeted with her ever-present wristwatch, she could think of nothing but how it had felt to wake up after a nightmare, all breathless and sticky-sweaty. She relived the harsh beating of her heart, which felt like it was trying to escape her chest, and the sensitivity of her whole body in that moment.She could feel like heartbeat in her fingertips, down to her very toes.

The expectant silence around the table only registered in her mind then.

“... MJ?” she heard Gwen ask tentatively, and MJ looked up, eyes snapping to her friend’s immediately. “We were talking about the upcoming football game against the Scorpions and I asked if you were free Saturday evening?”

“The game! Right,” she tried to pretend that she was aware of what they were talking about.”Yeah, I think I have to work on Saturday, but I don’t have to mandatorily go in, so… I’ll see if I can make it.” 

The strange thing was, MJ was genuine about considering Gwen’s offer. For the first time since she had arrived in New York, she had actually considered being genuine about something. As she spent more and more time with them, MJ started realizing that she _liked_ their company. They rarely had deep or serious conversations, one of them always ended up filling the awkward silences that only ever occurred when Gwen and Harry’s usual lunchtime arguments went too far, and the thing that MJ respected the most about them was- the fact that they seldom forced her to talk about herself or anything. They just accepted MJ’s silent participation like it was something that never bothered them.

Maybe it didn’t. 

Another person who matched her level of silent participation was Peter Parker. He sat at their table too, silent and distant and almost… cold. On those days, everyone automatically tried to leave him out of anything they might be discussing then without him acknowledging the topic himself. That mood was something she didn’t get to see every day, though. Mostly, he was soft-spoken, and funny in a deadpan and sarcastic manner, so much like her

There was still something about him that intrigued and bothered MJ. Maybe it was how he never seemed to share anything about himself. Maybe it was how he always seemed to get quieter and more remote around her. How he nearly always avoided any kind of conversation other than the absolutely necessary ones with her. Maybe _she_ was the problem.

Harry’s question broke through her thoughts. “How’s the job going, anyway? Are you liking it?”

“Sure, yeah… Well, it’s just the file room, but it pays relatively well in comparison to what has to be done for the job,” MJ shrugged, smiling wryly.”It was the only place they were hiring for right now.”

He nodded. “What are your workdays?”

“Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, after school for the weekdays.”

“That’s great, then,” Betty quipped in. “You can join us at Harry’s for our study evenings!”

“Yeah, you really should… How about today? I mean, you’re free today, right?” Gwen asked, her eyes sparkling with withheld expectations.

Everyone nodded in agreement. MJ rubbed her suddenly-sweaty palms against her jeans under the table.

“Sure,” her voice was level. “Today.”

“Would you be fine with 7? We’ll drop by your place.”

At MJ’s acquiescence, Betty smiled brightly in excitement. “Do I need to pick you up too, Peter? You know what, I will anyway. Let’s all go there together.”

Peter rolled his eyes at her playfully before going back to his conversation with Harry and Ned.  
“Hey, MJ, I almost forgot; where do I pick you up from?”

MJ’s eyes automatically latched onto Peter’s for a short second, his snapping up to meet hers in the same instant.

“She lives with me.” Everyone turned to look at him, wide-eyed. “I mean, on the floor above me, that is. You know, Daniel and Melanie? They’re her uncle and aunt,” he hastily added, the tops of his ears blushing an adorable shade of pink out of embarrassment.

“Really?” Gwen asked MJ. “That’s such a coincidence! Daniel and Melanie are both such amazing people. How’re you liking it so far?”

“It’s great,” she tried to sound convincing. “They’re wonderful people to live with.”

The topic of conversation soon changed before MJ realized it. Her head felt about a thousand worlds heavy. Her eyes throbbed. Her bones ached for no reason other than sheer tiredness. She wanted nothing more than to rest head against the table in front of her and close her eyes. She wanted to let her brain succumb to the sweet oblivion of sleep that it so desperately craved.

She was consumed by her roaring, restless thoughts, her agony at an unknown devil she couldn’t even begin to recognize.

She persevered through it anyway.

* * *

After the school day got over, MJ’s tunnel vision led her straight back home and into her bedroom, and she flopped down on the bed gratefully, shoes and all. She couldn’t be bothered to undress when her whole body was dead tired. She hated how she couldn’t get a proper night’s sleep for one whole night. She hated how her demons came to haunt her in the very hours she needed the most. She completely loathed how she let them.

As her eyes drifted to a close, in some realm of her mind, she heard Dodger’s distinct footsteps come closer to her. She opened one eye just enough to confirm his presence, and there he was, all golden fur and loud, distinguishable breathing. MJ felt herself unconsciously smile dreamily as he came to sit on the floor next to her bed. She blindly reached to hesitantly pet his head. He licked her hand after a second of her tentative stroking.

“Ew,” MJ laughed sleepily. “You’re gross, you know that?”

That was the last thing she said or heard before her own exhaustion knocked her out cold, and everything was blissfully quiet and dark.

* * *

Waking up with about fifteen minutes to spare before Betty and the others came to pick her up, MJ felt annoyingly groggy and jittery. She hurried out of bed to freshen up as much as she could, and after a serious internal debate over whether she should change her clothes, she decided against it and just put on a comfortable sweatshirt over her sleep-wrinkled clothes that she had worn to school. It was loose and comfortable, and warm in the way that calmed her nerves in a way that no other clothing ever could.

_It’s going to have to work anyway,_ MJ thought to herself as she quickly wrote a short note to Daniel and Melanie before dashing out of the door.

* * *

The city was unusually quiet.

As he sat on top of the parapet of the building he lived in, he slowly, thoughtfully chewed on the PBJ that Aunt May had taken to making for him every morning before school (why, he had no idea; she knew there was a cafeteria in his school). On a usual Thursday, he would’ve drowned all of his thoughts and senses into one thing. On a usual Thursday, he would’ve centered all of his focus into the one purpose of his life he still deemed worthy- helping someone with something they shouldn’t have to deal with alone.

He would usually patrol the heck out the neighborhood, maybe even score a few fun ways he could make himself useful, and then go to Harry’s place for an evening with his friends. The perfect balance of both of his identities- the crime-fighting and neighborhood-friendly hero and the normal teenager. He was content with that. He was content with what he was doing, and what he was heading towards doing.

His purpose would usually leave him clear-headed and alert. _Awake._

Today, unfortunately, wasn’t that day for him.

Today, the muggings and traffic accidents were far from many. He’d already helped two elderly people cross the road and had carried their bags for them. There weren’t even any kittens stuck in trees that he could help out.

He felt guilty for wishing something exciting would, for once, risk his precious neighborhood. His heart and mind weren’t in the patrol, as they usually were. He was distracted. And it annoyed him to no end.  
He couldn’t pinpoint the source of his distraction, but he certainly could remember since when he’d started to lose his frigid mindset of focus. It had been a week; ever since… he forced himself to think about it, the arrival of Mary-Jane Watson into his school, and life.

He hadn’t the slightest idea why he found everything about her so… suspicious and oddly intriguing. He couldn’t relieve himself of the thought that there was much more, _so much more_ to her that she tried her damndest to hide. She succeeded at it pretty well too, which had quickly morphed his intrigue into mild frustration.

Peter rubbed his eyes tiredly as he thought of her blank, almost deliberately arranged, expressions. Everything about her, except for her height, which was pretty short, reminded him of… he left that thought hanging, a cold sliver of guilt running up his spine leaving dredges of calloused regret in its wake. He couldn’t bring himself to forget about it. He wouldn’t ever forget about it. About _her._

Sometime in the midst of his deliberation, the gorgeous orange hue of the sunset darkened to a hazy, light purple/lilac/mauve, the setting twilight taking away all of the radiant brightness along with its arrival. He let out a heavy, despairing exhale. He detested the dark.

With a deep ache of resignation and exhaustion throbbing away relentlessly in his chest and head, he got off the parapet to go change for Harry’s. The ache was present all the time nowadays. He had just learned to live alongside it.

* * *

_She definitely said 7,_ MJ thought as she stood in front of the front gate. She had been waiting for about 10 minutes by then, and her patience had started dwindling. She tried to not think about the kind of evening that awaited her with all those people she’d only known for a week. _It’s got a purpose,_ she thought to herself firmly. _At least I’ll be able to keep an eye on Peter._

“Hey,” she heard from behind her, and her shoulders tensed defensively almost instantly.

“Hey, Peter.” Because _of course_ it would be him.

“Hi,” he muttered into receding silence. MJ stood there, feeling oddly calm and relaxed. Which she immediately felt was weird because of the heart-thrumming, breathless anxiety she’d felt all day. She felt more clear-headed and relaxed than she had all day.

Peter, on the other hand, wasn’t having it.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, then took them out and rubbed them together, as if they were... _sweaty. Huh,_ MJ thought. Why was he nervous? He wasn’t the one going to spend an evening with a group of people she didn’t even know so well, one of whom could potentially be the person her whole mission was based on finding and turning over.

Breaking the silence just so he wouldn’t have to bear through the heavy (at least, for him) silence, he asked her, “How’s Dodger doing?”

MJ looked surprised. “Well, he’s… good, I guess. Still a pain in the butt and stares at me all weird whenever I come back home to see him lounging on the couch.”

He laughed, a soft and short sound with an edge of derision and... _bitterness?_ She thought to herself dubiously, unsure of her assessment. “That’s… okay. That’s great.”

He opened his mouth to continue, but MJ cut him off. “Peter. You don’t need to do this.”

His eyebrows knit together. “What are you talking about?”

“You need to ask? Okay, well, it’s pretty obvious you don’t _really_ want to talk to me. I know you just want to… fill the silence or whatever, but you don’t need to. Really.” 

He just quietly listened to her factual yet comforting voice. His silence led her to continue. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious you don’t like me, to begin with in the first place.”

The heavy silence between them floated heavily with unsaid implications, and MJ felt slightly breathless with anticipation of a reaction, _any reaction,_ from him.

“Okay,” he muttered under his breath, looking thoroughly chastised and disappointed.“Sure. It’s completely fine.”

“It is?” _It really isn’t, for me. I’ve completely messed up with my stupid-_

“Yeah.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal to him at all. Like she hadn’t just gone into a weirdly-defensive rant and made the both of them feel more awkward than it had been when he was just trying to make innocent conversation. A car horn brought both their attention back to the reason they were both standing in front of a busy street. She could see Betty in the driver’s seat of the large, weathered SUV that was nearing them.

“Just one thing, MJ,” she heard Peter’s low voice from behind her as she started to move towards the car. “I don’t not-like you. I don’t know how you came up with that, but I don’t. Hate you, that is.”

With that, he walked past her towards Betty’s SUV, and MJ was left standing there, feeling more mortified and slightly relieved. _At least he didn’t hate me. I’m not_ that _much of a loser at acting like a normal high school student._ But then, she was pretty sure that if he liked her then, he certainly didn’t now.

She couldn’t bring herself to care enough. She only felt relief; a bubbly, liberating relief stemming from the fact that she hadn’t actually ruined everything the first day she had started. She hadn’t messed up her mission. Not yet, anyway. The realization released a suffocating pressure in her chest that had always felt like the point where her anxiety originated from.

_As for Peter,_ she thought to herself. What was she supposed to do about him now? He had made it pretty clear this time that he wasn’t all that eager to let everything that had happened between them earlier rest. _Fine,_ decided wryly, _I’m not even going to try to be likable around him_. It was too much of a task that clearly hadn’t worked the first time around. Or maybe it had. She really couldn’t tell anymore.

Feeling rather decided and lighter than she’d felt since she’d arrived in the city, she followed Peter’s slight figure towards Betty’s car too.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone is even gonna read this, but thank you so much if you do so! Come follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ViolaSkyefanfic) or [tumblr](https://violaskye.tumblr.com/)! Leave a review and/or leave kudos, if you want. They really help me keep going in difficult times.  
> Love, me.


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